The Sharabha descend from Shara Bolasi, the lion-father who fell in the same war against Hykravones, the Shattering, that took the dragon Nagatayora and the wolf Ulvma. The three did not fall the same way. The dragon's blood came down burning and the wolf's was drunk from the field; the lion's went into the ground. Shara Bolasi held his stretch of the line alone after the rank beside him broke, and when he was killed his heart's blood ran out into the earth and soaked it. Nothing happened then. Generations later, the people who settled that ground and worked it and were buried in it began to come up changed, carrying the lion in their blood without ever having touched the beast that put it there.
Every Sharabha carries Shara Bolasi's strength, and the harder parts of him with it: the pull toward putting yourself between danger and the people behind you, and the refusal to break an oath once it is spoken. It surfaces as the power to take on a measure of the lion's shape, but it shows more plainly in how the Sharabha live. They bind to a pride, by birth or by choosing, and they do not walk away from it.
Vitals
- Size: Medium
- Height: 5.5-7 feet
- Weight: 140-240 pounds
- Max Age: 120 years
Aspects
- My honor before my life
- The pride stands together or falls together
Heritages
- Sharakari (Pride Guardians) — Protector-focused Sharabha whose defensive formations and Pride Circle loyalty measure honor by allies saved, not enemies slain. See Sharakari.
- Sharadin (Oathspeakers) — Oath-bound Sharabha who serve as judges and arbiters; their vows sworn in lion form are supernaturally unbreakable. See Sharadin.
Game mechanics
Lion's Heart Awakening
Major ability. You channel the blood of Shara Bolasi, transforming into a lion-like form. Your head becomes that of a great lion and powerful claws extend from your hands. This transformation lasts until you spend an action to return to your normal form. While transformed:
- Your bite counts as a heavy piercing weapon, your claws as light slashing weapons
- You cannot hold weapons, shields, or manipulate fine objects
- You are immune to the frightened condition
- Your bite can be used to initiate grapples (see subrace abilities for special grappling benefits). When you first grapple the creature with your bite, and on each subsequent turn, you may inflict 1d6 piercing damage.
Sharakari (Pride Guardians) — Guardian's Grip
Passive ability. Your protective instincts enhance your grappling abilities when defending others. While transformed via Lion's Heart Awakening:
- When you win an engagement by directly beating your opponent's stance, you may use your bite to grapple instead of your hands
- You have advantage on grapple checks made with your bite
- The passive damage from grappling a creature with your bite uses your might die rather than 1d6 (minimum 1d6).
- Creatures grappled by your bite have disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone except you
Sharadin (Oathspeakers) — Oathbound Roar
Major ability. Your transformation carries the weight of Shara Bolasi's legendary defiance. While transformed via Lion's Heart Awakening, you gain the ability to unleash a terrifying roar that echoes your ancestor's final stand.
Once per transformation, you may use your action to roar. All hostile creatures within 30 feet must make a cunning saving throw against your presence challenge number or gain a level of frightened. Creatures that fail by 5 or more are also knocked prone by the sheer force of your defiance.